Diocese assisting with transportation to Papal Mass

Published 11:52 am, Tuesday, September 8, 2015

BRIDGEPORT — Members of the Bridgeport Diocese who plan to attend the Sept. 27 Papal Mass in Philadelphia can take a bus arranged by a parishioner of St. Catherine of Siena church in Trumbull.

“Many people have contacted the diocese to ask if we are planning transportation to the Papal Mass, and we’re very pleased to make Rally Bus available to those who will make the pilgrimage,” said Bishop Frank J. Caggiano. “The Mass is open to all who can get there and we think bus transportation may be the best option giving the estimated two million people who will come out to greet our Holy Father.”

No tickets are needed to attend the Mass by Pope Francis at Ben Franklin Parkway, and as many as 2 million people are expected. Pope Francis will arrive on Saturday, September 26 and speak at Independence Hall before celebrating at the Festival of Families, a massive free party held on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

The pope will say a Mass for hundreds of thousands of people, also on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, at 4 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, Sept. 27. The Mass is free and open to the public, though tickets will be required to access the area from 20th Street to Eakins Oval, according to the city’s web site, visitphilly.com

No tickets are required to access the parkway from 20th Street to City Hall, though attendees will need to go through a security checkpoint.

Tyler Lomnitzer is facilitating the transportation using Rally Bus, a company that provides transportation to groups and “crowd sourced’’ charters and round trip shuttle services. Lomnitzer described the New York based company as the ‘Uber” for buses to big events.

Buses will depart from St. Theresa Parish in Trumbull at 7 a.m. that morning. Additional stops and starting points in Danbury and Stamford may be added if there is enough demand from other parishes, Lomnitzer said.

“The Papal Mass is a monumental event in the history of the Catholic Church in the United States and is also likely to create a monumental traffic jam with heavy security measures in place and many highways and bridges closed to individual motorists and open only for bus access and pedestrians,’’ said Brian Wallace, a diocesan spokesman.

Rally Bus has authorization to drive directly into the city, organizers said. The buses will arrive at Lincoln Financial Field, about four miles away from Ben Franklin Parkway, where Mass is being celebrated. There will be shuttle buses and subway service available to bring riders closer to the venue.

“We’re really excited about using Rally Bus to aid the Diocese of Bridgeport in its organizational efforts to help as many of its members as possible attend Mass celebrated by the Holy Father,” Lomnitzer said.

The fare for the bus will depend on how many riders sign up; it is estimated to be about $90, Wallace said.